Hello to all my artist friends. We just returned home from a great workshop and trade show in Houston and it is time to get some painting in while getting ready for up coming workshops, the next being a one day painting demonstrations followed by a one day workshop at the Jerry's Artarama store in Nashville TN. Maybe I'll see you there.
We all need to refresh and stay excited about our painting experience. I have several things I do to stay excited. Something as simple as trying a new paint color and seeing how it mixes with other colors in my palette, then using it in a painting gets me charged. I just found one, I... [More]

There is some hype about a new product....the Sharpie Liquid Pencil. This is a fun item that writes like pencil and remains eraseable for 24 hours before it becomes permanent. But wait! This sounds familiar! Matisse Derivan has been making a product called the liquid pencil. Although the Sharpie is great as an everyday writing utensil, the Matisse liquid pencil is made for artists. It comes as a fluid so you can pour it onto your palette and use a brush. In addition, there are 4 subtly shaded undertones and 2 neutral graphite shades to use. You can use brushes, pen nibs, or any other mark-making... [More]

Ever been in a "funk" and can't paint? If you're very serious about your painting (vs. doing it once in a while for fun) you know that "da funk" can really rattle you. Sometimes it hits you out of nowhere and sometimes it comes at other more predictable times.
Lets look at what causes it, and i'll give you some tips to get you going again. First lets look at some things that cause "da funk." One is sheer burnout. Lets say you've been working on a series of paintings or an event (like a show) that either took a long time to complete or took alot out of you (creatively and/or physically). For this symptom the remedy is to take a few days... [More]